Don't let go
by Sydneyflwrs
Summary: Race has a run in with the Delanceys, and is badly hurt. Jack finds him and takes him back to where him and his brother Crutchie live. Race finds it hard to trust people but he thinks he can trust them. Hopefully.
1. chapter 1

**Hi everyone! this** **is my** **first story** **and I'm really excited to **start! **I'm going to go** **ahead and** **tell you now,** **I SUCK at posting** **consistantly, b**ut this will **be my main multi-chapter story until it's done, a**nd while I'm working **on the next chapter** **I will post** **one shots,** **hopefully, **every other day, **and hopefully post a chapter every weekend.**

**Lets hope I can stick to it! Reviews are much appreciated 3**

Racetrack breathes hard as he runs through the streets of Manhattan, being chased by the Delancey brothers. They yell at him from behind and he starts to panic. He runs as fast as he can, hoping to escape another beating today.

He sprints until his legs feel like mush and turns into an alley, which of course, is a dead end. He whips around to face them, trying to gulp down his fear, and stands tall, his breathing shaky.

The Delanceys stop in front of him and they grin wickedly. "ain't nowhere to go now." They start to walk toward him and Race backs up till he reaches the wall. "please, not again" he whimpers

Oscar cracks his knuckles and Morris laughs. Race closes his eyes and braces himself for the blows. He feels the first one hit his stomach, making him want to throw up his lunch. He crumples to the ground in pain and he hears one them say "too easy" and they soak him. He sobs loudly with each blow until suddenly, they stop.

He breathes heavily on the ground and tries to open his eyes, but they're swollen shut. He manages to open his left one a little, to see the someone fighting the Delanceys. he can't make out who it is, but he doesn't care. He watches the person knock them both out, and start to rush over to him, and then he blacks out.

* * *

He wakes up in the alley with a young man hovering over him with a worried look in his eyes. "Oh your alive, thank god" he smiles a little and sighs with relief.

He notices he can open both eyes, but it hurts and he winces when he tries to move. "don't move!" the boy says. Race ignores him and moves away from him. "Who are you?" he says, his voice hoarse from screaming, probably. he has panic in his eyes and he starts to hyperventilate.

"No please, I just wanna help ya." the boy tries to reach for him, but Race shrinks back from his touch. "who are you?" he asks again, his eyes wide with panic and fear.

"The names Jack Kelly, and I just wanna help ya." he says again. Race looks at him hesitantly and Jack puts his hand out for him to take it. he hesitates, but places his hand in his.

Jack moves closer to him to examine his injuries, never letting go of his hand. Race still looks terrified as he does so, and whenever he touches him, he winces with pain.

When he's done he looks him in the eyes. "What's ya name, kid?" Jack eyes are soft as he talks to the boy. Race gulps. "A-Anthony, b-but people c-call me r-race." Race's breathes are shaky and he's still scared, but something about Jack, makes Race feel like he can trust him.

Jack smiles kindly. "Nice to meet ya Race." he squeezes his hand, and Race smiles a little, wincing from the pain. "Now let's get you home." Jack says as he helps Race to his feet, but Race shakes his head "I don' have a home." he whispers

Jack looks at him. "Okay then, let's go back to my place, I bet my brother, Crutchie would love to meet ya." he grins and Race smiles a little "I would love ta meet'm to." he says softly, still weak from the beating, barely able to stand on his own.

Jack frowns "Can you walk?" Race nods and tries to walk but ends up collapsing in pain. Jack catches him "No you can't, c'mon." Jack wraps one of Race's arms around him. He limps, all his body wait on Jack.

* * *

Race is exhausted by the time they get to Jack's place and he almost fell asleep on the way. Jack opens the door to his apartment and helps Race inside. "Cruchie!" he calls into the apartment. Race winces from the loud noise and almost collapses again.

"Woah I gotcha, c'mon" he holds him up and calls for Crutchie again. This time a boy comes out of one of the rooms. under one arm is a crutch and he has a smile that spreads like butter on his face, but that smile falls when he notices Race.

"Help me get'm to the couch please, bud." Crutchie nods and hurries over as fast as he can. He helps Race to the couch. They help him sit, and he whines from the pain. "Crutch, go get'm some water and an ice pack will ya?" Crutchie nods and hurries off to the kitchen.

Race groans and leans his head back on the couch. Jack sits beside him and runs his fingers through Race's hair. Crutchie comes back with the water and the ice pack, and hands them to Jack.

Jack places the ice pack on Race's cheek, which has the nastiest bruise, and hands the water to Race who gulps it down. "What happend to ya?" Crutchie asks, as he sits down on the other side of him.

Race is too tired and in too much pain to speak, so Jack answers for him. "He got soaked by the Delanceys real bad." he adjusts the ice pack on his chin, and Race winces. "Ooh that sucks." Crutchie says with sympathy in his voice. "Its nothin', this happens every day." Race says weakly. Crutchies eyes widen "Every day?" he asks with disbelief. He nods painfully and whines, exhausted.

"Shhh, don't try to talk, rest now." Jack strokes his hair and Race's eyes get heavy, and he slumps into Jack's arms and falls asleep. Jack smiles and continues to stroke his hair, holding the ice pack on his chin. Crutchie looks at Race worriedly "Is he gonna be okay?" he asks, his voice tinged with worry. "I think he's gonna be fine, and you won't mind if he stays with us do ya?" Crutchie grins "of course! we gotta protect him Jack." Jack smiles and looks down at Race "Yeah I guess we do." Jack smiles softly. "Welcome home, Race."


	2. chapter 2

**Authors note: the last chapter was a little shorter than I would have liked so sorry about that, and I know there were some typos and stuff that I don't know how to fix, so... sorry about that.****I hope you guys like this story so far, I know I do :) please review! it would make my day :)**

Race jerks in his sleep and wakes Jack up. Jack and Crutchie had moved Race to Jack's bed, cause the spare room wasn't set up, and his bed was big enough for both of them.

Jack rolls over to see Race sweating and squirming in his sleep, obviously having a bad nightmare. he starts to call out and hyperventilate and Jack sits up trying to calm him down.

"Race, Race, listen, wake up, i's a dream." Jack takes Race's wrist and continues to try to calm him down.

Race jerks awake and sits upright, feeling a pain in his abdomen, and remembering what happened the day before. he breathes heavily and turns his head to see Jack, looking at him worriedly.

"You okay?" Jack asks. Race just stares at him and his eyes are filled with panic and fear like they were when he first met Jack. "Race?" Jack asks.

Race stumbles out of the bed and collapses to the floor, his injuries still fresh. "Race!" Jack gets out of bed to help him. "I'm f-fine." he tries to stand up, holding his stomach, like he's gonna be sick.

"You're not 'fine', you need rest!" Jack rushes to his side but Race pushes him away. "I'm tellin' ya, I'm fine!" he tries to stand up a little straighter.

Jack sighs exasperatedly. "I'm goin' to get ya some pain meds and water, 'kay?" Race rolls his eyes and nods.

Jack leaves the room, and as soon as he does, Race limps to the window and opens it, climbing out, and up the fire escape, in a hell of a lot of pain.

When Jack leaves, Crutchie comes out of his room, his hair a mess. "What w's all a that 'bout?" he says drowsily. he rubs his eyes, clearly tired.

"Nothin' Crutch, go back to bed." Jack kisses his head and turns him around, shutting the door. He makes his way to the kitchen and grabs the medicine and a glass of water, and walks back to the room.

When Jack walks in the room, he doesn't see Race, but notices the open window and sighs.

He puts the medicine and water down on the bed table, and goes over to the window.

Jack climbs out, and up the fire escape, to see Race sitting, with his knees tucked close to his chest. He sighs again and goes over to him.

"Hey." Jack approaches him quietly and sits down beside him. Race doesn't respond, staring at the city, unmoving.

Jack looks out too. "I got your meds down stairs." Race stares

"I don' wan' 'm." he mutters.

"But ya need em, Race." Jack turns to look at him. "And you also need sleep."

Tears well up in Race's eyes at the thought of sleeping and having another nightmare about his mama and papa or the Delancys.

"I don' wanna." He knows he must sound like a child, but he doesn't care.

Jack looks at him "Why not? You should be beggin' for sleep afta what happen' to ya."

Race stares into space, wondering whether or not he wants to answer that question.

Jack waits patiently for his answer, and finally, he gets it.

"When I was seven, my mama died, an' it left me and my dad, broken. He was already a drunk, and a horrible father, but mama made it all worth it.

"but my mama and dad fought all the time, and when my mama would come put me to bed, I'd always find a nasty bruise somewhere on 'er, and she would always say, one day we were goin' to get away from him, and I believed 'er,

"until one night I heard 'em fight like they's never fought before, so I left my room and walked down the stairs, quietly, so's they wouldn't hear me, and I saw sommin' that will never leave me."

He takes a shaky breath and his eyes glaze over, as he looks into his memories

"I see my father holdin' a gun up to mama's forehead, and next thin' I knew, mama was on the floor, dead."

Race chokes back a sob and Jack looks at him with sadness "Oh, Race-" but Race isn't finished

"After I watched mama die, I wanted to kill my father, I didn't care who he was, but guess I wasn't quiet enough, cause he turned to look at me, and next thing I knew, my father's grabbing my shirt and holdin' the gun to my chest."

Jack gasps and bites his lip, and Race still doesn't look at him.

"My father looked me in the eye, and told me he wouldn't kill me, so's long as I didn' tell anyone what happened, and I agreed 'cause I w's terrified.

"then he slammed me against a wall, knocking the wind out of me." his voice breaks and It breaks Jack's heart.

"then he w's throwin' me, accually throwin' me into my room." Race can't hold back the tears anymore and they pour down his face

"And if I ever slipped up in the slightest," his voice sticks in his throat, "I would get a good soakin' from him." he holds back his sobs but tears run down his cheeks freely

Jack stares at him and they're silent for a minute. Then, Jack speaks "Race...I-" at the sound of Jack's voice, Race turns to face him and can't control his sobs anymore

Jack pulls him close "C'mere." he cradles Race as he sobs, stroking his hair.

he sobs uncontrollably and Jack tries to comfort him. "An' wheneva' I's tries to sleep, I have nightmares 'bout that night, and all the beatin's I got." he says in between sobs.

Jack holds him close and rocks him, "Shh, okay, okay." Race closes his eyes and sobs still.

Jack holds him and strokes his hair, till he finally falls into an uncomfortable sleep. Race's brows stay knitted together and he squirms a little, but he seems okay, and Jack sighs.

* * *

_Race sits on his bed, waiting for his mother to come tuck him in. He hears his parents argue, like they usually do, but something about it this time, seems different._

_Race gets curious and gets up. He walks to the door and opens it, able to hear his parents better._

_He quietly walks to the edge of the stairs, and slowly starts walking down them._

_He stops close to the bottom, and peers around the corner at his parents standing in the kitchen._

_He gasps when he sees what's happening, wanting to scream._

_He sees his mother backed up against the counter, her eyes wide with fear as she argues with him,_

_and his father holds a pistol up to her forhead._

_"kill me" he hears his mother say. "I dare you, kill me!" his father looks at her with disdain, but doesn't do anything._

_"And what would our son say if he saw you dead, with a bullet through your brain." his father growls. his mother looks furious ._

_"You don't care about Anthony! you dont care about _me_!"_

_Race watches, wide eyed and afraid._ _Tears run down his mother's cheeks, and his father only grins, wickedly._

_"your right," he says, after a few minutes of silence. "I don't"_

_R__ace doesn't even hear the gunshot, he just watches, as the bullet enters her brain, and she collapses to the ground._

_He let's out a small cry and his father turns to face him. Race tries to back away, but his father is too damn fast. He grabs Race's shirt, and presses the pistol to his chest._

This is it... _he thinks, _he's finally gonna kill me_._

_Race doesnt look in his father's eyes. "Look at me. Look at me, boy!" he slams Race into a wall, knocking the breath out of him, and his entire body aches._

_his father holds the pistol to his chest still, and Race reluctantly makes eye contact with this horrible man._

_Race begins to cry, after all he's only seven. His father gets right in his face, and he can smell the alchohol in his breath. "I ain't goin' to kill you, boy." he throws the pistol down. "but you tell no one, what you saw, ya got that?"_

_Race nods, terrified and his father carries him by the collar, up to his room, and he throws him in, slamming the door behind him._

Race wakes up suddenly from this horrible nightmare, that has haunted him since he was seven, and sits upright. he was back in the bed, but Jack was not beside him. He starts to panic.

Just then, the door opens and Jack walks in with a glass of water in hand.

Jack sees Race and rushes over to him, setting the glass down on the bed table, beside the meds and the other glass of water, ment for Race.

"What's wrong?" Jack sits and wraps an arm around his new brother, pulling him close. "N-Nightmare." he nuzzles close to Jack's side, sniffling. "Its okay, I'm here." Jack says softly and starts to stroke Race's hair.

Then the door opens and Crutchie walks in. Race hides his face and pulls away from Jack. "Crutch? What's the matta?"

Crutchie looks at Race "Nothin' just wonderin' if I could stay in here for the rest of the night."

Jack smiles "'Course you can." he moves over and gestures for Crutchie to sit beside him. Crutchie hobbles over and sits beside Jack, laying his crutch on the ground.

Jack wraps an arm around him, pulling him close, and does the same to Race, both boys smile at each other for the first time and Race feels something he hasn't felt for a long time...Love

**So that happened... uh anyways you remember that posting schedule? yeah well I decided I'm going to just post as often as possible, but if I dont post during the week, I will definitely post on the weekend :)**

**This has been so much fun to write so far, and I can't wait to... Watch What Happens!**

**(haha that was a horrible pun)**

**;p**

**See you lovely people next time!**


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